Today, we’re going to explain a question that many (men) must have been asking already: Why are the most attractive women so often also the dumbest ones?
Some believe in a divine power or an invisible hand that if not equally, then at least fairly distributes intelligence and beauty. I don’t, because I believe most of both is due to genetics. Others might argue that women don’t have the time to both keep themselves beautiful and study, and thus have to choose one of these. Taking into account that there is such a thing as natural beauty and only so much that you can achieve against the odds given to you at birth, this also doesn’t explain the high correlation between hotness and stupidity.
The real answer might lie in what economists call the “resource curse“. This concept, usually used for natural resources, tries to explain why countries or economies with an abundance of natural wealth (like oil or gas) have the lowest productivity. One of the reasons given is the lack of motivation because of the certainty and ease of continued income, potentially exacerbated by the fact that the natural wealth came “for nothing”. Very similar to natural beauty.
In another post, we already investigated why women earn less than men on average and saw that one of the reasons is women’s bias towards marriage and finding a (financially) secure partnership versus pursuing a career of their own. If a women knows that she is attractive/beautiful/sweet/hot, she needs to worry about her future much less than one that doesn’t have these “qualities”. There is no external motivation for the hotties to sit down and cram vocabulary or maths formulas or read 2,000 pages every semester. This lack of motivation of course leads to a lack of intellectual activities which keeps/makes these girls dumb.
Of course, indirectly, the shallowness of men is just as much to blame. I can exempt myself from this blame because I find nothing more attractive than a smart woman with glasses who is reading a book.
So, now that you have publicly requested to be beaten to death by the first woman to get to you, can you add me to your will QUICKLY? :D
I’ve known some smart beauties, and some “dumb’n'uglies”. I will subscribe SOMEWHAT to your viewpoint, as I’ve known a fair number of gold diggers in my time as well. I will argue with you on your point, though, because beauty IS so subjective. Some of the celebrity ladies I found beautiful, many would disagree. I will also put forth that, as the old phrase goes, “You can’t judge a book by its’ cover”. I saw Robin Curtis, the second actress to play Saavik in the Star Trek movies, at a convention. I had previously found her unattractive, as I did not care for her portrayal. I got to spend some time with her, and found a charming and delightful lady, which shifted my perception. And my lifetime love, Grace Lee Whitney (from the original TV series of Star Trek) is drop-dead beautiful in my eyes (always has been, always will be, regardless of age) AND is an incredibly smart lady.
My recommendation? Be careful about generalisations. And remember that, if you are out on a date with a woman, she is THE most beautiful lady in the world, no matter her true looks. Trust me – it’ll save you a smack upside the head when your eye “wanders”. ;)
I have to agree with the lack of motivation reasoning. If, from a young age, a female is treated as if she is incredibly attractive (ie. complements, gifts, extra help with homework), then she’ll become accustomed to this kind of treatment. She’ll begin to assume that this will be “the norm” for her as she grows up, therefore she won’t try as hard with things that could distinguish her intellectually. Why would she? People are taking care of her, and she’s apparently getting along just fine. Even if she turns this thinking around when she gets older, it’s most likely too late to become smarter than her female peers. Of course this could be changed if her parents teach her from a young age that looks aren’t everything so she’d better study as well as take care of herself (and she believes them).
I don’t necessarily agree with the statement that women usually choose either books or looks – at least in concept… for all of the bimbos in the world this is probably true. It’s really not all that difficult to take care of yourself and study hard. I do admit that a great amount of studying doesn’t leave time for an extended stay at the gym every day. If you can’t exercise as much as you’d prefer, then don’t resort to junk food. Multitask by enjoying a facial mask while reading a book. Get plenty of sleep. It is truly not that difficult.
I was always surprised to see in high school (all girls Catholic high school) that the girls in my classes didn’t take care of themselves all that well. I suppose I was surprised because I’d always been told that you never know who you’ll meet on any given day, so you should always look your best, or at least look as if you care about your appearance. In addition, caring about your appearance and intellectual pursuits equates to respect for yourself and your future. It’s really not as hard as women make it out to be.
OPR
Does this explain, why most women in politics are very masculine?
Except Sarah Palin. But she is a case in point.
LOL–dumber than a box of rocks be SP. LOL. But she’s hot in a red swimsuit. And that’s what really COUNTS, isn’t it? LOL. Damn, this post is funny–and very insightful in its way. Now, what’s the role of pheromones in the mating game? Hmm?
Cool!
I would say, relatively true with a huge number of exceptions though! But what I want to know more precisely is that what exactly do you mean by stupidity? Relative lack of IQ or being shallow and lacking information and ability to analyze, process and go deep into matters? The former, no one has any hand in it but the latter, I do agree with you! Although its respectively relative! if there are no stupids, there are no smarts!
I think the “late bloomers” can be an exception to this. Girls that have had only their brain to rely on throughout most of their teenage life and sometimes into early 20s, suddenly they develop into a swan, usually without even being aware of it too. Girls that are born stunning.. a whole different story definitely.
just come out and say you think Saudi women are hot Andreas! And you wished they read more! Totally agree, I think you can add ‘thick woolly jumper’ as well.
Very wise thoughts. Well written!
Wow, first I read the wage gap post you wrote and now this one. Waste of my time. Back up your broad generalizations with facts, will you? Do some research. Your assumptions on what you deem to be “common knowledge” only make you look like a buffoon. Please enroll in a place of higher learning and educate yourself.
There are many very hot intellectual females in world, myself included and they run for their lives away from you. This may be why the women who surround you seem to be so dumb comparatively. Bye now. See you never.
Joanna
Note that you are not backing up the claim of your own hotness.
However, she has given us evidence of two very definable facts about herself – a total lack of a sense of humour, and an appreciation of self-beauty to make Narcissus blush.
Oops – make three personal facts – a complete inability to stick with anything. Proof? Let’s see if she rips ME one for this statement!
(Oh, and Joanna? I’ve spent a lot of time around TV stars of both US and UK TV. While many are beautiful, most are totally focused on career, or at best one or two other items {besides their family, which is VERY important}, and in the general populace of both US large cities {Chicago, NYC, LA, Atlanta} and small town America I’ve spent time in, Andreas is basically spot on. Yes, there are exceptions, but there are to all things in life.) Then again, you’re not reading this, so I’ll just say “Hope you’re having a good week, Andreas, and chat with you soon!” :D
I can confirm this. My wife is a hot thai woman, but oh boy, she can be stupid. I don’t care much about women’s brain, my IQ is about 130 and I have never met a woman, who can think equally well. So I will settle for good looks and good food. Just once I have met a femal student in one of my classes (I am a computer instructor), who was good looking and brilliant. One in a thousand.
Roland- If I may ask honestly, is 130 really a good number for an IQ? I seriously do not know – a friend (a DO who had also done various brain studies including testing relationship of cranial size to IQ) once tested me some years ago, when I was taking a LOT more Vicodin daily than I do now. She claimed she tested me at 136 and 142 (2 different testing methods) after an “average” day of about 60mg of Vicodin, but I wasn’t sure what methodology she used – or whether she was just having me on! :) I’d be curious to get tested again, but only if it’s free, because we’re VERY tight on money.
Any info you could give me would be sincerely appreciated! Thank you, Roland.
Sure, an IQ of 130 is very good, 100 is average, at 160 you are called a genius. Of course, my best days are after me, i am approaching 49, so now I rather compensate with experience. I once came 2nd at a school entry interelligence test out of 600 students. Here is some statistics about intelligence: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IQ_and_the_Wealth_of_Nations
Um.. I hate to break this to you, Roland, but I’m only 1 year behind you (48), so please don’t count yourself out yet! :D I’d like to think I have a LOT more years of learning ahead of me. And I’m not quite ready to fall into that “cunning old fart” category – yet. ;)
Seriously, thanks for the information. I hadn’t even thought about those IQ tests until you mentioned your score in your post. An awful lot (or a lot of awful things, your choice) has transpired since then. Thanks for the reminder! :)
I read your post about why beautiful women are predisposed to stupidity. It seemed
like pseudo-intellectual misogynistic posturing. Ironically, I’m an Oxford Graduate
& female students at Oxford are more attractive than the general population &
infinitely more attractive than their male counterparts. That profile is common to
Cambridge & US Ivy League Institutions. Oh, and I have a pair of 6/5s – my vision
is better than 20/20, so I don’t need glasses.
Lara- If I may defend Andreas, (and Andreas, if you permit me to be so bold), I would request just a bit of leeway for him, as I distinctly note more than a bit of his tongue lodged firmly in cheek. He is far too intelligent, both in book learning and in real world experience, to firmly stand behind such sweeping statements. I’ll also request that you notice that I and the other respondents have noted many exceptions to his broadly-drawn assertions, as well as a small number of supporting examples, showing Andreas’ post to be a typical stereotype – with as many examples to prove it as to disprove it. And if he seems to stand too firmly behind it, grant him the forgiveness of his youth – though often he has proven just as wise “in years” as people decades his senior (such as yours truly).
And please don’t think less of us here – we’re just typical men, too often thinking with the wrong parts of our bodies! :D
John, I think the last sentence to your last comment is the only one appropriate to this topic…
LittleExplorer – I do seriously believe Andreas wrote this as sarcasm, or hyperbole, or whichever literary term is correct. (Sorry, my degrees are in Business and Computers, not in English Lit.) I’ve read a lot of his posts, and his sense of humour runs to the VERY dry! I would ask you permit him a bit of leeway in going “over the top” with this post. After all, he’s a likable lawyer – two words you RARELY see in the same sentence – which makes him a rare bird indeed!
John, I’ve read many posts on his blog too and I’m a subscriber because through his posts I too believe that he’s a very smart man (or else I wouldn’t even bother reading or commenting on his blog!).
However, being smart, likable and a laywer doesn’t exempt him from harsh criticism when necessary! (…and this is another lawyer writing!) He’s smart enough to understand my point for sure! ;)
Okay, LittleExplorer, you got me. I may not know much, but I know when I’m beat! :D
Andreas, you are on your own! Good luck – you’re gonna need it! ;)
And thanks for dropping in, LittleExplorer. I’ve only begun to scratch the surface, but your blog looks very interesting. I appreciate your commentary leading me to a new and fascinating site (new to me, at least)!
Thank you, John! Glad to hear you’ve been on my blog!
Do you have one yourself?
No, despite several people suggesting I should have my own. I’ve always been a reactor – my creativity seems to need a bump to get started. I might start what I’ve heard described as an “echo blog” – a gathering of my posts from other sites. I’m told I have a … “special”… sense of humour, and am (allegedly) quite the raconteur – nice way of saying I can BS with the best. :D
Smart is sexy, but boasting is not.
Although your idea of applying the ‘natural curse’ theory to explain beautiful women’s alleged stupidity sounds very appealing, it is in fact total nonsense and shows you need to speak to more SMART women in order to get your facts right. As John Erickson rightly stated above, don’t make such generalisations: it is a sure way to get things wrong.
Firstly, how could anyone think beauty and smartness are in any way related? I am even surprised by the Oxford girl who states girls at Oxford are MORE beautiful that others. What nonsense! The two facts are totally unrelated. I think you are defining ‘intelligence’ as ‘mental willingness to study / work’ rather than innate inclination and ability to understand / think / reason in a coherent and complex way. In fact, if you think of beautiful women as having so many advantages in life that the ‘natural curse’ theory may apply, it can only be true in the sense that they may develop a laziness to working and studying. This affects in no way their actual intelligence!
Secondly, I would like to remark how being attractive can be a curse rather than an advantage to a woman who wants to have a successful career. Why are female politicians or very intellectually able women often ugly? I think your reader has reversed cause and effect. Women might ‘turn ugly’ to be taken seriously.
Why? Because there are too many man, as this blog and the comments prove, that are certain that “hot woman = dumb woman”…or, worse “hot woman = sexual object”. The only way of getting out of this situation for a woman who is very or averagely attractive is to start behaving in a more masculine way, becoming more rude and perhaps dressing in a less attractive way in order to be taken seriously just like all men.
It’s sad to see such a highly educated person delivering such ridiculously creative theories. It almost reminds me of Lombroso’s theory putting in a causal relationship the facial features of people with the tendency to commit crimes. Nonsense.
Hot bimbo is better in bed than a ‘smart’ feminist any day of the week! Quite frankly I find the so called bimbos to be smarter in living life and more fun to be around. The ‘educated’ girls can pass tests and get a high paying job but they are just crap to live with. Just my experience…
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When girls are “hot” they devote copious amounts of time to their own appearance rather than cultivate their own mind and develop their intelligence. It solves the question, “hot because they’re dumb, or dumb because they’re hot?” If they are born with an advantage in physical attractiveness over other females in the population, they’ll maximize these traits, while atrophying others, as described above. Of course, this is distinct from ‘beauty’, which is more complex. Yes, there may be ‘hot’ girls who are ‘smart’ and vic- versa, or even ‘smart’ girls who could be ‘hot’ and vice-versa, but the trade-off between ‘hotness’ and ‘dumbness’ generally holds true.
Good one! Throws a whole new light on the subject! :)
Sociologist Dan Ariely has a reallllly interesting take on looks, relationships, and identity, even invoking “The Fox and the Grapes” from Aesop’s Fables to demonstrate how our attitudes conform to the limits we were dealt in the genetic lottery.
http://zacharygrove.wordpress.com/2011/10/02/hot-or-not-adapting-vs-settling-for-the-best-you-can-get-in-life/
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Why you little shit stirrer you LOL
You cannot possible believe what you just wrote. Myself I have a theory why attractive women appear dumb or dumber. It has all to do with the fragile male ego. These women are playing it dumb (whether consciously or uncconsciously in order not to scare man away). Take Marylin Monroe for example, the ultimate dumb blonde, yet she was an intelligent and articulate woman who despite, by her own admission did not have the education, tried to read a lot and was actually quite intelligent. But men would find a combination of beauty and intelligence threatening, so girls learn (and society teaches them) to play the part. In short, women and girls are playing by YOUR, man-made rules, and that is why even when a woman like Margaret Thatcher is elected to government, little changes for women or society, simply because the woman is stil working within male-dominated societal structures that put the femminine aside or downgrade it. In order to succeed, these women have adopted a hyper-masculine attitude and mind frame.
Having said that, it is natural for people to be more attracted to beautiful persons, those with symetrical faces and bodies. It is a natural fact. But what is more surprising is that beauty can be correlated with intelligence, the thinking being that the more symetrical the features the healthier the gene pool.
All in all though, I find that this human intelligence is much overrated. I find that most people, men and women are as dumb as a door nail. Why, if it wasn’t for the achievements of a handful of men (yes I say men because traditionally, women were relegated to the hearth and not the universities although I can surmise that the intelligent ones must have held many a philosophical conversations within themselves and had their own ideas about everything, from better systems of government to gadgets they could invent to make life easier) while they attended to the drudgery of spinning cloth and churning butter), we would probably be still living in the stone age.
If men continue to shun intelligent and good looking women, then the human gene pool can only deteriorate, since men are selecting for dumbness, in the same way that the majority of men do not like to marry women who are taller then themselves, selects the genes for shortness. In a few generations, you will see many short and dumb people around, in other words, the degeneration of the species.
It is true, Sarah Palin is dumb or maybe that is because believes in Creationism, but then again many Americans do.
George W. wasn’t exactly an Einstein ether.